Politics How Senate Republicans Have Reacted to the Roy Moore Allegations

16:52 13 november 2017

16:52 13 november 2017 Source:
The New York Times

McConnell Says Moore Must Step Aside If Allegations True

Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is accused of initiating a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32, according to The Washington Post. Leigh Corfman said she was approached by Moore outside an Alabama courtroom in Etowah County and later exchanged numbers with him.He picked her up and kissed her, she said. In another encounter, Corfman said Moore took off his clothes and undressed her while she touched his underwear.“I wanted it over with — I wanted out,” she told the Post.Two of Corfman’s friends said she told them.

The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.

Allegations that Roy S. Moore, the Republican nominee for a Senate seat in Alabama, pursued sexual and romantic relationships with teenagers while he was in his 30s have upended a race in a state that has not had a Democratic senator since 1997.

While Alabama Republicans, by and large, defended Mr. Moore against what many of them described as a partisan plot, national officials have reacted with shock and disgust. And the shift away from him has been particularly pronounced in the chamber he hopes to join.

Ryan: Roy Moore allegations 'disqualifying if true'

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) responded to allegations of sexual misconduct against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) on Thursday, saying the allegations are "disqualifying if true." "These allegations are disqualifying if true. Anyone who would do this to a child has no place in public office, let alone the United States Senate," Ryan said in a statement.In a bombshell report in The Washington P ost on Thursday, Moore was accused of having inappropriate sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl in 1979 when he was 32.Leigh Corfman, now 53, said Moore asked for her phone number and the pair met later on two separate occasions.

– U.S. Senate Candidate Roy Moore is the focus of serious allegations following a Washington Post article which alleges the Alabama Republican initiated a The state party’s going to be directing him how to act when in terms of his campaign. So, that’s a strictly a Moore decision to handle.”

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The National Republican Senate Committee is no longer raising money for Mr. Moore, and most Republican senators say he should end his campaign if the allegations — reported by The Washington Post on Thursday and based on more than 30 sources, including four accusers quoted by name — are true.

<p>Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential nominee and Massachusetts governor, weighed in on Friday on the sexual misconduct allegations facing Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore.</p>"Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore," Romney wrote on Twitter. "Moore is unfit for office and should step aside.

Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore reiterated his denials Saturday against what he said were allegations ofual misconduct “false” and “an on my character” a newspaper report carrying allegations ofual .Day ago Alabamians have reacted to the Roy Moore allegations by calling it

Will Republicans Send an Accused Child Molester to the Senate ? But in this post-Weinstein world, Hollywood is – at least for now – taking action. The reactions to Roy Moore 's allegations have been a different matter.

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) November 9, 2017

Mr. Lee tweeted on Friday, “Having read the detailed description of the incidents, as well as the response from Judge Moore and his campaign, I can no longer endorse his candidacy for the US Senate.” Mr. Daines and Mr. Cassidy quickly followed.

A fifth senator, Bob Corker of Tennessee, wrote that Mr. Moore should never have been nominated to begin with.

Look, I'm sorry, but even before these reports surfaced, Roy Moore's nomination was a bridge too far.

— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) November 11, 2017

‘If true …’

By far the most common reaction has been a call for Mr. Moore to step aside if the allegations are true. Thirty-one senators have said this, though none have explained what criteria they would use to judge the truth of the accusations.

If the allegations are true, “I don’t think this candidacy is sustainable,” John Cornyn of Texas said, “but we believe in a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and so I think it’s important for the facts to come out.” Texas’ other senator, Ted Cruz, called the reports “serious and troubling” but added, “Judge Moore has the right to respond.”

Alabama poll: Moore and Jones tied following scandal

Embattled Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore is tied with Democrat Doug Jones in a new poll on Friday, one day after accusations surfaced that Moore had inappropriate sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl decades ago. Moore and Jones are tied at 46 percent in the new poll by Decision Desk and Opinion Savvy, with 82 percent of respondents aware of the new allegations leveled by named accusers in The Washington Post.In RealClearPolitics's average of polls, which does not yet include the new poll, Moore is leading by 6 points. All of those polls were taken before the allegations of Moore's sexual conduct were reported.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican officeholders have given varied responses to the sexual abuse allegations against Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore . Broadly speaking, their responses fit into three distinct categories: Calls for Moore to step down in the Senate race

Question 3: If the special election for US Senate were held today, would you prefer to vote for the Democratic or. the Republican candidate? Question 8: Given the allegations that have come out about Roy Moore ’s alleged sexual misconduct against four.

Others, though they included the caveat, seemed more inclined to jettison Mr. Moore. Jeff Flake of Arizona said Mr. Moore should step aside “if there is any shred of truth to the allegations,” and Susan Collins of Maine and Ben Sasse of Nebraska spoke similarly. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania and Tim Scott of South Carolina said they found the accusations more believable than Mr. Moore’s denials; Rob Portman of Ohio said he assumed they were true because the women making them were on the record. And Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Mr. Moore “should be dealt with very severely” if he behaved as reported.

“Any person who believes these allegations are not that bad,” Mr. Graham told ABC’s affiliate in Columbia, S.C., “I don’t want them to be a part of the Republican Party.”

Roy Moore: ‘These allegations are completely false’

Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore said Friday that the allegations regarding his sexual misconduct with 14-year-old girl in 1979 are "completely false.""These allegations are completely false and misleading," he told Sean Hannity on his radio show.

It is too late to replace Mr. Moore on the ballot, but Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Sasse and Mr. Toomey have floated the idea of a write-in campaign — perhaps by Luther Strange, who holds the seat Mr. Moore is seeking but lost the Republican primary. (Last week Mr. Strange called the report “very, very disturbing” and said he would later have “something to say” about whether he would re-enter the race.)

“If there’s an ounce of truth to any of this, Roy Moore has no place in public life and ought to drop out immediately,” Mr. Sasse said. “Alabamians should start thinking about who they’ll write in.”

Ms. Murkowski, who won a write-in campaign herself after losing a primary in 2010, told Politico on Thursday that she had spoken with Mr. Strange, who told reporters he was researching his options.

Only one senator, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, explicitly declined to suggest that Mr. Moore step down, even with the “if true” caveat. Why, he asked, didn’t the women who spoke to The Post come forward earlier?

“They’re very, very old charges,” Mr. Wicker told Mississippi News Now. “You have to ask, and I think people in Alabama will be asking, why this hasn’t come out in the 40 years’ time with him running for so many offices.”

Poll: Moore, Jones neck and neck in Alabama Senate race .
GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore and his Democratic opponent Doug Jones are neck and neck in Alabama's Senate race just three weeks ahead of the December election, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The poll, conducted by Strategy Research for the Montgomery-based Raycom News Network, shows Moore receiving 47 percent of the vote, with Jones at 45 percent. Five percent of respondents were undecided, while 3 percent said they plan to cast their ballots for write-in candidates.The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points, meaning that Jones and Moore are in a statistical tie.

State Republican Party Leader reacts to allegations against Roy - whnt.com

– U.S. Senate Candidate Roy Moore is the focus of serious allegations following a Washington Post article which alleges the Alabama Republican initiated a The state party’s going to be directing him how to act when in terms of his campaign. So, that’s a strictly a Moore decision to handle.”

Roy Moore | site info - www.togetherbontot.com

Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore reiterated his denials Saturday against what he said were allegations ofual misconduct “false” and “an on my character” a newspaper report carrying allegations ofual .Day ago Alabamians have reacted to the Roy Moore allegations by calling it

Will Republicans Send an Accused Child Molester to the Senate ? But in this post-Weinstein world, Hollywood is – at least for now – taking action. The reactions to Roy Moore 's allegations have been a different matter.

How GOP politicians are responding to the Moore allegations - www.fox10tv.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican officeholders have given varied responses to the sexual abuse allegations against Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore . Broadly speaking, their responses fit into three distinct categories: Calls for Moore to step down in the Senate race

Alabama Senate Poll Results - winwithjmc.com

Question 3: If the special election for US Senate were held today, would you prefer to vote for the Democratic or. the Republican candidate? Question 8: Given the allegations that have come out about Roy Moore ’s alleged sexual misconduct against four.

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